CHICAGO, September 12, 2018 (dailyo.in, by Avatans Kumar): “It was like a mini Kumbh,” is how one of the 3,000 participants of the recently concluded World Hindu Congress (WHC) in Chicago described her experience. The World Hindu Congress, about which there was very little known just a few months ago, turned out to be a major rallying point for Hindus from across the world. The follower count of its Twitter handle swelled from a meagre 3,000 or so in late August to 15,000 by the end of its concluding session. Initially, only one hotel was booked for the event, but as word spread, the number of participants started increasing and finally, the number of delegates swelled to over 2,500 from more than 60 countries. That forced the organizers to book two more hotels to lodge the delegates and add an additional ‘overflow room’ for its plenary sessions.
The first WHC was held in New Delhi four years ago. Though it created quite some buzz in India, the impact of the Chicago Congress was much more intense. Primarily because it had the emotional connect with this American city — the place where Swami Vivekananda had delivered his historic speech at the Parliament of Religions, 125 years ago.
The recent past has seen an unprecedented political consolidation of Hindus. At the same time, many historical facts pertaining to Hindu civilisation that were either hidden or marginalized in academic discourse started to spring up, thanks to wider and instant internet access. Old myths have been busted. New facts emerge on a daily basis. This has helped embolden the confidence of Indians in general and Hindus in particular.
In this background of Hindu resurgence, politically and otherwise, the WHC has achieved its major objective — of consolidating Hindus.vApart from bringing together prominent Hindu think tanks, sects and organisations under one umbrella, the meet was successful in sending out a clear message, especially to India, that an alternative narrative has emerged and is taking a crystal-clear shape worldwide. This new narrative, based on dharma, is as modern as it is scientific, progressive and liberal. But at the same time, it is also firmly rooted in Indian culture and traditions. This narrative is based on the concept of equal treatment and mutual respect, and it proudly underlines the contributions of Indian civilisation to the world.
The conference attracted well-known academics like Professor Arvind Sharma (McGill University), Professor Makarand Paranjape (Jawaharlal Nehru University) and Professor Subhash Kak (Oklahoma, State University). These scholars not only emphasized these points, but also deliberated about the path forward.
The speech by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in the inaugural session set the tone of the conference. His speech, delivered mostly in English, was a sort of a primer of the Hindu civilisation dealing with its ups and downs, strengths and weaknesses, disappointments and hopes. Bhagwat emphasized the need to seize the moment. “It is an opportune moment. We have stopped our descent. We are contemplating how to ascend. We are not an enslaved, downtrodden nation. People are in dire need of our ancient wisdom,” he said.
SP Kothari, a professor at the Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), stepped right into it. Among the dignitaries who attended the conference was Ashwin Adhin, the vice-president of Suriname and US House Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi and Bill Foster. Bruce Rauner, the Governor of the State of Illinois, sent his message to the Congress and the Lt Governor of Illinois Evelyn Sanguinetti delivered a live speech.
The governor also issued a written proclamation, declaring September 11 as Swami Vivekananda Day in Illinois that was read out during the concluding session.
A positive and significant feature of the event was the thought-provoking discussions on economy, youth, women, Hindu organisations and temples, media, etc., which witnessed many meaningful discussions. There was a separate poster session, in which issues related to the Hindu community were depicted creatively. There were some concrete suggestions to support Hindu entrepreneurs as well. Taking a cue from Swami Vivekananda’s thoughts, it was decided to build a strong global network and help each other, so that India becomes an economic power in future.
During the event, it was announced that the next WHC would be held in Bangkok in 2022. It is expected that the Bangkok event will have significant impact as there is likely to be more participation of people from India due to the regional proximity.
Moreover, since Thailand is the gateway to ASEAN countries, the event is likely to create a bigger buzz in the region. There are many countries in the region that share historical and culture links with India and this is thus likely to strengthen these bonds.